Defending Sacred Land & Water | New Mexico & El Paso Interfaith Power & Light

“You are not a separate being. You belong to the living body of Earth. You are the Earth, looking up at the stars.”

Joanna Macy, Bathtub Bulletin

“We came, we saw, we launched.”

Terrence Macaulay,
Designer @ Printworks

Why It Matters

New Mexico’s lands and waters are deeply woven into our cultural, spiritual, and ecological life. From acequias and rivers to mountains and mesas, these places sustain communities and hold sacred meaning for Indigenous peoples and faith traditions alike. Yet they are threatened by drought, overuse, extraction, and pollution.

For people of faith and conscience, protecting these sacred places means safeguarding the well-being of our neighbors, future generations, and all living beings.

💧To protect land and water is to honor the sacred and care for our communities.

Our Approach

Through the work of our Sacred Land & Water committee, we bring a faith-rooted lens to the stewardship of land and water. We:

Honor Indigenous Wisdom – Learning from and standing in solidarity with Native communities who have cared for this land since time immemorial.
Protect Sacred Places – Defending holy sites, rivers, and ecosystems from harmful extraction and exploitation.
Educate Communities of Faith – Offering resources on water stewardship, sustainable land use, and spiritual ecology.
Advocate for Just Policies – Ensuring state and local decisions protect water access, ecological health, and community resilience.

“The land knows us and we know the land. We belong to one another.” — Indigenous teaching

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What We're Working On

Our Sacred Land & Water program focuses on:

Participating in Future Water Ancestors, an indigenous-led group in the Gallup area, focusing on water catchment and use in a brittle environment. Includes projects to bring urban rooftop water to native growers.
Holding workshops on composting and regenerative gardening and farming practices through partnership with Spirit Farm.

Participating in watershed restoration and tree planting projects.
Partnering with other water advocacy groups, including New Mexico Watch Coalition, to safeguard New Mexico’s rivers, acequias, and groundwater from overuse and pollution.
Supporting just water policies and partnering with New Mexico Water Advocates to uplift community and ecosystem needs based on observed data, and develop creative solutions for water sustainability.
Lifting up spiritual practices of gratitude, prayer, and blessing for Creation.